December 15, 2013 -- This film is based on the story of the lone survivor of a SEAL (Sea, Air, Land Team) mission to capture a Taliban leader in the Pech District of Afghanistan's Kunar Province in 2005. The bloody mission, called Operation Red Wing, was a disaster. Three of the four members of the SEAL team were killed, along with 16 members of a military helicopter rescue mission.

The story is told from a pro-military point of view, based on the book written by the lone survivor of the mission, Marcus Luttrell (played by Mark Wahlberg of “2 Guns”). The film uses a lot of military jargon without explaining all of it. It starts out like a training film with the arduous SEAL training (which has been depicted in several other films, including “G.I. Jane”). The film ends with pictures of the real people behind the story depicted in this film.

It takes a while to get these preliminary things out of the way, including the usual introduction of characters, snippets of home life, etc. Once it gets going, however, it becomes a brutal tale of survival against the odds during a protracted battle. There is a lot of graphic violence, blood and awful wounds in this film. This tale of savage warfare, however, begins and ends with acts of courage, humanity and decency.

SEAL Team 10, composed of Luttrell, Michael P. Murphy (Taylor Kitsch of “John Carter”) Matthew Axelson (Ben Foster of “Contraband”) and Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch of “Savages”) have nearly accomplished their mission when the first thing goes wrong. They spot the Taliban leader they were looking for, but they cannot make radio contact with headquarters.

Before they could make radio contact, they are found by a group of Afghani goat herders. They know if they let the goat herders go they will likely tell the Taliban about the SEAL team and that will put them in mortal danger, but they let them go anyway. That decision is made by team leader Murphy, who is following the rules of engagement regarding unarmed civilians.

The soldiers head for high ground to make radio contact, but are still having trouble getting signals through. Meanwhile, the Taliban fighters are coming after them, fast. Isolated and out-gunned, the SEAL team found itself surrounded and the enemy has the high ground. They are forced to retreat down a steep mountainside under heavy fire, including rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine gun fire.

One by one, the small group of soldiers are killed. In a heroic last-ditch effort to call for help, Murphy climbs a rock outcropping and is able to call for help. But help does not come fast enough to save him. In the end, only Luttrell is left alive, just barely. He is saved by the second act of mercy and courage in this tale. Luttrell is rescued by local Pashtun villagers who protect him from the Taliban.

According to the film, these villagers not only took care of Luttrell for five days, but they actively fought the Taliban fighters who would have killed him. They follow an ancient code, Nanawatai (asylum) by safeguarding their guest, Luttrell. This is part of the ancient Pashtunwali code of conduct. This decision to protect Luttrell, who is badly injured and wounded, put the entire village at risk from destruction by the Taliban. According to the movie, this difficult decision to protect Luttrell is not a unanimous decision, or an easy one.

This is the bookend to the decision at the beginning of the battle to let the goat herders go. That was also not a unanimous decision, but the military is not a democracy. According to the movie, the Pashtun villagers depicted in the film continue their battles against the Taliban. I hope that is true. The world needs more people like them. The world needs courage and those willing to fight for freedom, but it needs compassion and mercy even more. This film rates a B.

P.S. The man who helped Luttrell was Muhammed Gulab (played by Ali Suliman in the film). After he protected Luttrell, his house was burned down and his cousin was killed. Gulab was forced to flee his village out of fear of retaliation by the Taliban. Two years after the incident he said in an interview he had gotten no help from the U.S. military and he thought that Luttrell had forgotten him. Recent reports indicate Luttrell and Gulab have become friends and Luttrell says he is trying to get Gulab a green card so he can settle at least part time in the U.S.

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Copyright © 2013 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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